4 Reasons Your Team Is Not Collaborating Effectively And How Team Building Can Help
There are many reasons why teams might not be collaborating effectively however, the most common one is a lack of communication. Team Building is designed to increase communication and socialization which in turn increases collaboration.
There are many reasons why coworkers and teams might not be collaborating effectively however, the most common is a lack of communication. Team Building is designed to increase communication and socialization which in turn increases collaboration.
What Is Collaboration In The Workplace And The Benefits Of Collaboration?
According to Indeed, the definition of collaboration in the workplace states “Collaboration means working well with someone to complete a task or develop ideas together”. When a team works together to collaborate on tasks or ideas it can allow coworkers to feel heard and encourage them to share ideas and perspectives. The most important part of collaboration is having consistent communication. Communication is key in all departments so coworkers collaborate successfully.
Top 4 reasons your team is not collaborating effectively
Miscommunication - Communication is key to working together, and it is important to have an efficient way to communicate with your team members. When looking to collaborate on tasks or ideas, communication is the primary component of success. Open dialogue allows team members to feel connected and included while completing a task. It can also make the task and responsibilities of those collaborating much more clear and effective.
Unclear priorities - Along with good communication skills come directing roles and priorities. When each team member has a specific role to play in the execution of a task, it welcomes all participants to feel included and crucial for overall success and completion. Having clear priorities and assigning roles also improves the efficiency of the task. Improving in these areas will help with the collaboration of a team.
Directing various personalities - In any workplace environment there will always be different types of personalities and these people can be motivated in different ways. When a team is collaborating, it may be more difficult to manage with different motivations working for different people, but it is not a bad thing. Directing various personalities can be challenging, but knowing the employee and communicating a direction that matches their work style is important. Embracing everyone’s style of work is key when collaborating.
Doubtfulness and uncertainty - A work environment that has a foundation of trust creates a positive work culture and security for employees. When collaborating with a team, trust is essential when there are multiple people and moving parts. An article by Forbes talking on the issue of trust in the workplace states “high levels of trust are necessary for team members to feel safe to speak up, ask questions, or make suggestions without fear of retribution or concern that their comments might damage their relationships or reputation”. Trust is the foundation of a team working together and collaborating well.
““High levels of trust are necessary for team members to feel safe to speak up, ask questions, or make suggestions without fear of retribution or concern that their comments might damage their relationships or reputation”. ”
How Team Building can help increase collaboration
Team building is designed to bring people together and work closely to achieve a goal. Through this work, coworkers have the opportunity to talk openly and express their thoughts during these activities. When socializing to complete a task there is a greater chance that all parties will feel welcome to share their ideas and work productively together. Team Building activities also give coworkers the opportunity to create new friends or acquaintances which allows trusting conversations and more collaboration to be cultivated.
Two Roads Team Building incorporates all these things through interactive, tailor-made, and easy-to-plan workshops. Our experiential online or in-person workshops will help you and your team learn and implement the skills you need to continue to grow and succeed together while building a high-performance company culture. Build your company culture and boost your bottom line, contact us for your free proposal today!
How to Select the Right Team-Building Activities That Will Work for Your Organization
Team building activities can be beneficial for all work environments, but selecting the right activities for your team will help to make the tasks more effective and impressionable. Here are our top 3 suggestions to select the right activities to reach your goals.
Team building activities can be beneficial for all work environments, but selecting the right activities for your team will help to make the tasks more effective and impressionable. Here are our top 3 suggestions to select the right activities to reach your goals.
Creating A Goal To Motivate That Motivates The Whole Team
The first step in choosing or creating the right team-building activities is to outline a specific goal to be attained from the exercises. Goals for the team can pertain to many different areas such as better communication, the overall morale of the employees or simply providing space for people to get to know each other better. Once a goal has been set it can make the process of choosing the right activities much easier.
Knowing your team members and participants personalities
Team building activities are important for an organization as they help in creating a cohesive and collaborative work environment. There are many different types of activities that can be used for team building. The first step is to understand what type of activity will work best for your organization. By having an overall goal in mind, it is then best to think about the people that will be involved. Knowing the employees or people participating, like what they enjoy, their passions as well as learning styles can narrow down where and what activities to include.
Time and level of activity
There are three main categories that team building activities can fall into physical, mental, and creative. Physical activities usually involve some sort of exercise and typically last between 30 minutes to an hour while mental activities focus on things like solving puzzles or completing word games which last around 15 minutes to an hour. Creative activities are more diverse as they include things like brainstorming or idea generation which can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. With many options to choose from it can be difficult to narrow the decision-making down. Team building can include only one or all three of these types of activities depending on the goal to be achieved.
Two Roads Team Building incorporates all these things through interactive, tailor-made, and easy-to-plan workshops. Our experiential online or in-person workshops will help you and your team learn and implement the skills you need to continue to grow and succeed together while building a high-performance company culture. Build your company culture and boost your bottom line, contact us for your free proposal today!
Why You Need To "Show & Tell" Your Company Core Values Now, More Than Ever
The strongest and most successful companies in the world also have the strongest and most successful organizational culture, built on solid values and a team that is completely aligned to “showing and telling” those values.
As leaders, founders, managers, and investors we are role models in the world. We have the power and responsibility to spread tolerance, increase workplace diversity, embrace immigrants, eradicate misogyny, and so much more.
This morning I had a Skype call with my four year old niece and she was bouncing around the room, wiggling and jiggling, doing her little happy dance because today is the best day ever, it’s Show And Tell Day at her kindergarten!
four little girls showing and telling the world what matters most: equal human rights for all. image credit: nicole adams.
For kindergarteners, Show and Tell Day is the most exciting day of the month, when students get to bring their favourite “thing” of the moment to class, including anything from a stuffed bear, to a baby sister, or even a giant dill pickle (my niece really loves her sister, and dill pickles). The point is, they bring something that makes them feel good.
As adults, we no longer have the pleasure of participating in “show and tell” day, instead we “show and tell” what makes us feel good in our own grown-up way. We show and we tell our values and beliefs in myriad of ways, and they impact everything we do.
The strongest and most successful companies in the world also have the strongest and most successful organizational culture, built on solid values and a team that is completely aligned to “showing and telling” those values.
In the current political climate, it appears that many companies are avoiding publicizing authentic company values or “personal” beliefs for fear of engaging in political discourse, alienating potential clients, stifling free speech, or breaking employment laws. The common theme seems to be, as one founder recently told me, “just keep your opinions and values to yourself, and you’ll be fine”.
This is anything but “fine”.
It’s not enough to stay silent and let hatred, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, and intolerance be the loudest voices in the room, for the sake of your desire to sell a product or service, or your fear of retribution. Hiding behind the idea of “not wanting to stifle ‘free speech’” is a weak excuse to avoid standing up for your so-called company values. There is a clear distinction between genuinely embracing diversity and inclusion, and alienating immigrants, women, members of the LGBQT community, and more.
You don't need to attend a protest to take a stand. there are so many ways to demonstrate your core values, support your employees, and build your company culture. Check out this great example of a simple action taken by the kiwiana restaurant in brooklyn.
If you claim that your company values include diversity and inclusion, but you directly or indirectly support, fund, or promote white supremacist business or organizations, you are part of the problem.
"There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem."
- Elridge Cleaver, American writer and political activist.
As leaders, founders, managers, and investors we are role models in the world. We have the power and responsibility to spread tolerance, increase workplace diversity, embrace immigrants, eradicate misogyny, and so much more.
Creating and publicizing company core values that reflect tolerance, diversity, equality, and global citizenship isn’t just good for our society, it’s a winning business strategy that will enable you to:
Build mutual respect and trust among employees, increasing collaboration and productivity.
Develop an emotionally and physically safe workplace and increase employee retention
Attract top international candidates.
Build the foundation of a strong company culture, and scale a workforce that is completely aligned to well defined, guiding core values.
This isn’t isn’t just about building your business, or making a political statement, it’s about standing up for human rights.
Company core values aren’t just ambiguous “fluff” to stick up on a wall decal in the office foyer. They shape employees’ and clients’ experiences, they’re a core part of branding, and they are powerful enough influence the world around us.
Take a stand for your company values. Post them publicly, define them well, use them in your branding, marketing and internal and external communication, talk about what they mean to you and your team, and how they positively influence the world beyond your office walls.
Build your company culture, boost your bottom line, and do something good for the world.
If you agree, take a stand. Please share this post with a comment about how your company values make a positive difference in your workplace and in the world, and hashtag it: #CULTUREWINS
- Alexis